Info, tickets, merch, rights, and more. Your home for all things Broadway.

Purlie Victorious

Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch

by Ossie Davis

Comedy
Medium Cast (9-13)
Black Playwright or Creator

Now Playing at a Theatre Near You

Buy Tickets

Purlie Victorious

About the Play

Purlie Victorious





Ossie Davis' comedy about Reverend Purlie Victorious Judson, a dynamic and joyful traveling preacher.


Story:

Dynamic traveling preacher Purlie Victorious Judson returns to his small Georgia town hoping to save Big Bethel, the community's church, and emancipate the cotton pickers who work on oppressive Ol' Cap'n Cotchipee's plantation. With the assistance of Lutiebelle Gussie Mae Jenkins, Purlie hopes to pry loose from Cotchipee an inheritance due his long-lost cousin and use the money to achieve his goals. Fortunately, Cotchipee's son Charlie proves to be far more fair-minded than his brutal father, saving the church from destruction with a brave act of defiance.


Get Tickets for Purlie Victorious The Latest News About the Show Reviews for the Most Recent Broadway Run Apply for Production Rights

Cast and Creative Team

Playwright

Playwright
Ossie Davis



Broadway Premiere

Theatre
Cort Theatre, Longacre Theatre
Opening Night
Sep 28, 1961
Total Performances
261
Original Cast
Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Alan Alda, Godfrey Cambridge, Sorrell Booke and Beah Richards
Director
Howard Da Silva
Producer
Philip Rose
Scenic Design
Ben Edwards
Costume Design
Ann Roth
Lighting Design
Ben Edwards

2023 Broadway Revival

Theatre
Music Box Theatre
Opening Night
Sep 27, 2023
Total Performances
151
Original Cast
Leslie Odom, Jr., Vanessa Bell Calloway, Billy Eugene Jones, Noah Pyzik, Noah Robbins, Jay O. Sanders, Heather Alicia Simms, Bill Timoney, Kara Young
Director
Kenny Leon
Producer
Jeffrey Richards, Hunter Arnold, Leslie Odom Jr., Louise Gund, Bob Boyett, Willette and Manny Klausner, Salman Moudy Al-Rashid, Creative Partners Productions, Glenn Davis, Irene Gandy, Kayla Greenspan, Mark and David Golub Productions, Ken Greiner, John Gore Organization, Patrick W. Jones, Kenny Leon, Van Kaplan, Nicolette Robinson, National Black Theatre, Alan Alda, Nnamdi Asomugha, LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Samuel L. Jackson, Phylicia Rashad, Kerry Washington
Scenic Design
Derek McLane
Costume Design
Emilio Sosa
Lighting Design
Adam Honoré
Sound Design
Peter Fitzgerald

1963 Film Film Version

Movie Name
Gone Are the Days
Type
Hollywood Feature Film
Director
Nicholas Webster
Screenplay
Ossie Davis
Starring
Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Godfrey Cambridge, Hilda Haynes, Beah Richards, Alan Alda, Charles Welch, Ralph Roberts, Sorrell Booke

Scripts, Videos, Merchandise and More





Books

Script
Play Script

Videos

DVD
Original Hollywood Version DVD

Merchandise

Merchandise
Merchandise on Ebay



Awards and Reviews

2024 Tony Award Nominations

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play - Kara Young
Best Revival of a Play
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play - Leslie Odom Jr.
Best Direction of a Play
Best Scenic Design of a Play

Best Costume Design of a Play

2024 Drama Desk Award Nominations

Outstanding Featured Performance in a Play - Kara Young
Outstanding Revival of a Play
Outstanding Lead Performance in a Play - Leslie Odom, Jr.
Outstanding Direction of a Play
Outstanding Scenic Design of a Play

2024 Drama League Award Nominations

Outstanding Revival of a Play
Distinguished Performance Award - Leslie Odom, Jr.
Distinguished Performance Award - Kara Young

2024 Outer Critic Circle Award Nominations

Outstanding Featured Performer in a Broadway Play - Kara Young
Outstanding Revival of a Play
Outstanding Featured Performer in a Broadway Play - Billy Eugene Jones
Outstanding Direction of a Play

1962 Tony Award Nominations

Best Featured Actor In A Play - Godfrey M. Cambridge

Your Reviews: Do You Love It or Loathe It?

If You Like Purlie Victorious, You Might Also Like...

Broadway Play
Broadway Play
Broadway Play
Broadway Play
Broadway Play
Broadway Play

From Shakespeare to Durang, award-winners to flops, big blockbusters to Fringe transfers, tried and true classics to avant-garde new works, Broadway Play Home is your home for Broadway tickets, merchandise, videos, and all the news, reviews, and information you want about Broadway plays, people, theatres, awards, production rights and more.

Your home for all things Broadway.

Become a Broadway Insider

Be the first to learn about Broadway news and announcements, read opening night reviews, and hear gossip and buzz! Subscribe, follow and join the conversation with other lovers of the Great White Way.

Blog Twitter Facebook Instagram Newsletter

Access even more Broadway!

Check out our sister site, Broadway Musical Home, for musical theatre!

More